am i a non-trad and do i need recent coursework?

[akanene]

i graduated from undergrad in may 2003, did a year of service work and am now in south america this year working and am planning on applying this summer (i would have been out for 3 years if i start fall 2006.. praying to the med school gods that i get in anywhere)... ive heard that its good for non-trads to have recent coursework, but dont know if i fall into this category (i might have to take stats as a pre-req to apply to ucla... kill me)... any advice on if i should take some courses while im applying (and am i bound to take them if i list them as future coursework on the amcas??), if so which ones are recommended and does it makes a difference where you end up taking them (as in can i take it at a community college to save money or is it better to take them at a 4 year institution).. thanks for any help out there... i dont want to be lazy, but a lot of med schools websites are vague and expensive international phone calls to admissions offices are not too appealling

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[LSUwannabe]

I don't think it'd be a bad idea to take some courses...even if just to get reacclimated.

Whether you NEED to probably depends a lot on the rest of your file/app, where you're applying (how competetive), what your state of residence is, etc.

 

[cammy1313]

I would suggest taking a couple of courses at a community college. Just re-enforces your dedication and will ease adcoms' minds (and perhaps yours) as to your current competency in science courses. Whether they're absolutely necessary depends on the schools. Try sending out some e-mails with your question and see if you can get any feedback that way.

 

[uptoolate]

I used to run the health sector for Peace Corps in (another country). Plenty of volunteers applied to med school during their service (2.3 years) to start when they returned stateside. I don't think any of them re-took any coursework prior to acceptance.

 

[lisa13579]

You don't need to take more coursework unless you don't have all your prereqs or you did terribly in one of them. Taking 2 years off isn't very long. In fact, I think your experiences outside of school are going to help you tremendously in the application process and in med school.

 

[bdt]

I graduated in 1996, worked in a lab, was in the peace corps, worked for a non-profit, and worked in a lab again. I didn't retake a single course and I have mulitple acceptances! Your coursework is only a couple years old. I think your international experience will be a bigger plus than 3 year old coursework will be a minus. I haven't had a single person ask me about my coursework. Just do well on the MCAT.

There are a few schools that have time requirements (Duke is the big example), but most don't.

You should be fine.

Enjoy your time overseas and good luck!

 

[Law2Doc]

You don't need to take more coursework unless you don't have all your prereqs or you did terribly in one of them. Taking 2 years off isn't very long. In fact, I think your experiences outside of school are going to help you tremendously in the application process and in med school.

I agree with this post -- 2 years hardly counts as not "recent". The discussions about "expired" prereqs and schools that require recent course work tend to be directed at non-traditionals 7+ years out. And even for those candidates, it seems from discussions on the non-traditional board that it is a minority of schools that require more current classwork.

 

[jmugele]

I graduated in 1996, worked in a lab, was in the peace corps, worked for a non-profit, and worked in a lab again. I didn't retake a single course and I have mulitple acceptances! Your coursework is only a couple years old. I think your international experience will be a bigger plus than 3 year old coursework will be a minus. I haven't had a single person ask me about my coursework. Just do well on the MCAT.

There are a few schools that have time requirements (Duke is the big example), but most don't.

You should be fine.

Enjoy your time overseas and good luck!

Actually a couple of schools do have time requirements (Duke and Washington). We have a thread on this topic in the NonTrad's forum:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?postid=2238804#poststop

 

[DrYo12]

I took my general chem in 1995 and never got asked about it. I would say that recency isn't an issue as long as your GPA from 2003 is in the competitive range. If you're thinking about applying with less than a 3.0, I'd highly suggest some recent coursework, but if you're above that and your MCAT is in the decent range, you should be in good shape for the app process.

 

[akanene]

thanks for all your help guys... it´s not that i think that its a requirement, ive just read a few things that have said recent coursework is recommended for students who have been out of school.. but since this is so vague, wasnt sure if it applied to me or not. does anyone know if i should mark on the amcas that im doing future coursework, or just wait and see if it works out with my schedule to do it (as in if i took a stats course to apply to ucla, but then didnt even get a secondary or interview, would i be able to just not take the course??) thanks!

 

[cfdavid]

I'm 10 years post undergrad, so needless to say, it's necessary for me. But, 3 years doesn't sound too bad. Perhaps if you could squeeze in a few classes prior to your secondary application, you could include that you are taking (or have taken) some additional classes etc. That would look good.

 

[nabeel76]

If you have already taken the MCAT, I believe most schools will require you to retake it after a period of three years. If you haven't taken them yet then you will have to take them. This will be sufficient to schools in regards to recent coursework. Besides, 3 years is not that long of a gap in my opinion.